The present invention relates to a document processing system. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for producing documents with a word processing application for printing on a preprinted form.
The personal computer in many ways has made the typewriter obsolete. The personal computer, operating standard word processing software, offers flexibility, error correction capability and ease of use never possible with the typewriter. A user of a word processor is able to create professional-looking, error free documents. The user of a typewriter was often limited as to choices and troubled by any mistakes.
However, one area where a typewriter is preferred over a word processor is in the completion of preprinted blank forms. Typewriters are unable to effectively correct mistakes, change fonts with relative ease, or store the information provided to the fields of the forms. The typewriter is the lesser of two evils, however, sc. the word processor is unable to efficiently and accurately position the generated text into the proper fields of a preprinted form. In order to effectively use the word processor to complete forms, the user must know in advance the relative position of each of the fields of form. The process of determining the relative position of the fields is time consuming. Alternatively, the user may attempt to determine the relative position of the fields through trial and error. The user must input text in the word processing document, then determine the correct position for the text through printing successive iterations of the text and adjusting the position of the text. Accordingly, the process of determining the relative positions of the fields of a blank preprinted form in order to use a word processor to complete the form is an inconvenience to the user. Moreover, the benefits of a word processor are not realized in the completion of forms.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus that provides for the straight-forward completion of preprinted forms with a word processor, or with another computer program suitable for generating text. More particularly, the present invention provides for the display of a scaled image of the form so that a user can accurately position text or other data for printing in the fields of the form.
One aspect of the invention is a method for printing data on preprinted forms. An image of the preprinted form is provided to a document having a background and a foreground. The image is displayed in the background. Data is entered into the foreground. The data in the foreground is printed onto the preprinted form. In this aspect, the form can be scanned and an image created. The form is then provided to a printer. The image is provided to a word processing document as the background. The data is entered into the foreground with the word processing application.
Another aspect of the invention is a computer-readable medium having computer-executable components stored on the computer-readable medium. The components can be executed on a suitably equipped computerized system. An example is a computer program stored on a floppy disc or CD-ROM. The components include an image input component, a user interface component, and an output component. The image input component generates an image of a preprinted form as a background of a document. The user interface component generates user inputs as a foreground of the document. The output component transmits the foreground separately from the background to a printer.
Still, another aspect of the invention is a system comprising an input component, a processor, and an output component. The input component provides an image of a preprinted form. The processor creates a document having a background and a foreground. The processor receives the image and displays the image in the background according to a scale. The processor also receives user inputs and displays the user inputs in the foreground. The output component outputs the foreground onto the preprinted form wherein the processor displays the foreground generally in relation to the scale of the background.
The present invention includes many advantages. Among these is that a user is efficiently and accurately able to complete the fields of a blank form with a word processor, or similar computer program. The user is able to complete forms with a single print job, not several printing iterations. The relative position of the fields of the form are accurately displayed so that the user is aware of the location of text, with respect to the fields, as the text is input into the word processing application. Additionally, the user is able to store the image of the form for retrieval at another date. This enables the user to intermittently complete several forms without having to set up the document with a scanner each time a form is to be developed. Also, the user can store an image of the form together with the text so as to provide an electronic version of the completed form.
The present invention describes computers, computer-readable media and methods of varying scope. Still other and further aspects, advantages and embodiments will be described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.